Art of treating fur



Patented June 24, 1930 PATET OFFICE CHARLES .'D. PARKS, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT ART OF TREATING FUR No Drawing. Applicationfiled May 8,

This invention relates to fur treatment and more particularly to an art of treating fur in preparation for the manufacture therefrom of felt, such as felt hats.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a practical and effective art of separating the fur fibers from the skin preliminary to the manufacture of felt or the like from the fur. Another object is to provide an art of the above nature whereby fur is economically made use of in that small pieces and cuttings from pelts tanned or otherwise may be utilized and the fur efficiently obtainedtherefrom. Another object is to provide an art of the above nature, which is not injurious to the fur fibers. Another object is to provide an art of the above nature which may conveniently and rapidly be carried on with inexpensive apparatus. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointedout hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the several steps and relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others all as will be described herein, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of the features of this invention, it may be here noted that in the preparation of fur for the manufacture of felt therefrom, such as felt hats, care must be taken throughout the treatment of the fur to avoid damaging the fur fibers so as to impair their natural strength, natural color, lustre and other valuable qualities. In order to obtain the best results in the completed hats or other felt products, the fur fibers which go into the manufacture must be substantially unimpaired as to their natural strength, color and brilliancy. In the process of forming felt from fur or the like, the felting action occurs by the individual fibers in contact with one another overlapping and interlocking and working together into a compact body. The surface of afur or hair fiber is coated with a layer of small overlying scales or barbs which assist materially in and are an important factor in the interlocking actionof the fur fibersto form felt. For the 1925. Serial m. 28,975.

best felting action, therefore, these minute and delicate scales or barbs, when the fur arrives at the felting process, must not have been destroyed or weakened in the preliminary preparation of the fur, as by the application to the fur fibers of too excessive or sustained heat or the action of too powerful chemicals.

The fur in itsnatural state, that is as it comes from the animal, has associated therewith a certain amount of oil or grease, animal fats, or gummy substance, generally known as wax. This wax covers the scales or barbs of the fur fibers, and in order to loosen or release the scales to permit their desired entry into the felting action, a process known as carroting is resorted to. In this carroting process, the fur fibers are treated with a solution of a suitable acid or a suitable alkali or other chemical which attacks the surface wax and renders it substantially ineffective by removing it or rendering it soluble. The carroting treatment is not of sufficient severity to attack the fur fibers themselves or to affect the scales or barbs so as to impair their quality orstrength. With the barbs thus loosened or released, the fur we the properties most to be desired for proper and efficient felting. The carroting process may be carried on either before or after the fur is removed from the skin.

The fur fibers and the coarser top hair fibers associated therewith may be removed from the skins by shaving or pulling machines, or by other similar means. This invention, however, contemplates the separation of the fibers from the skin by means of attacking the skin with a suitable agent, preferably in the form of a solvent, so that the fur fibers and hair fibers are loosened and released from the skin. By employing this method small pieces and ends of pelt-s from which the fur cannot conveniently be clipped or similarly removed, are made use of in the most efficient manner.

The fur-bearing skins or pelts or pieces of skins are immersed in a heated solution, preferably an acid solution, which. attacks and decomposes the skin or pieces and loosens the fur and hair fibers therefrom.

Preferably a solution of sulphuric acid is employed. At the start of the process, the solution is heated substantially to the boiling ten'iperature, preferably by blowing live steam thereinto. As the decomposing of the skin takes place, the solution is kept continually in a state of high agitation. if this agitation is accomplished by continuing to blow live steam through the solution, the solution is kept continually at substantially boiling temperature by the steam, and the agitation is of extreme violence. The extreme agitation is desirable, but the maintenance of this high temperature of the solution injurious ly affects the fur fibers. lhe fibers are weakened, their natural lustre is impaired, and the felting properties of the fur are impaired, the persistently high temperatured acid solution attacking the delicate barbs of the fibers. It is probable that the maintenance of such high temperature may result in a partial carbonization of the fur fibers. lVLoreover, this sustained high temperature cooks and thickens the solution containing the decomposed skin, resulting in a gumming which renders very diflicult the subsequent separation of the fur and hair fibers from the solution.

Preferably, therefore, in accordance with this invention, the agitation of the solution is accomplished by means other than the blowing of steam thereinto. It is preferred to maintain the agitation by blowing into the solution a current of air under pressure. he process is started vith the solution at a high temperature, preferably substantially boiling, and the solution is then agitated by blowing air through it so that instead of being maintained at boiling temperature, the solution is gradually cooled. Preferably tie solution is not held at boiling temperature for any substantial length of time. If desired, the solution may intermittently be heated up again as it is cooled by the air, by turning the current of live steam again therethrougl'i. The fur thus treated is far better as to strength, appear ance and felting properties than is fur treated by a process wherein the agitation of the acid solution is maintained by blowing thereinto live steam with the necessary resultant sustained high temperature. The natural strength and brilliaucy of the fur fibers is retained, and the delicate barbs, which are so vital to successful felting action, are not damaged. in addition, the solution is not thickened. and made sticky, but remains in such condition that the fur fibers may readily be separated therefrom.

its a result of this process the fine fur fibers of the pelt and the longer and coarser hair fibers associated therewith are removed from the skin, and the skin is reduced to a decomposed state in the solution. The fur and hair may now conveniently be separated from the solution by any suitable means and dried. The fur may now be given the carroting treatment, although, as above set forth, the carroting may be done either before or after the fur is removed from the skin, as desired.

From the above, it will be seen that there is herein provided an art which achieves the objects of this invention, including important practical advantages. The fur in preparation for felt manufacture is re moved from theskin in a most convenient and effective manner, and by such means that odd pieces and ends of pelts of any size may economically be utilized. At the same time the delicate fur fibers are not damaged, but retain their intrinsic desired characteristics which render them most desirable for felt manufacture. It is to be understood that the term fur as employed herein is meant to signify broadly fibrous anima products and similar materials which are employed in the manufacture of felt.

As the art herein described mi ht be varied in various parts all without (reparting from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described art of treating fur, Which consists in applying to a furbearing skin a heated fluid adapted to attack the skin and cause separation thereof from the fur fibers, and cooling said fluid during said application to prevent injury to the fur fibers.

2. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in applying to a furbearing skin a heated acid solution adapted to attack the skin and cause separation thereof from the fur fibers, and cooling said acid solution during said application to prevent injury to the fur fibers.

3. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in applying to a furbearing skin a heated solution adapted to attack the skin and cause separation thereof from the fur fibers, cooling said solution during said application to prevent injury to the fur fibers, and thereafter separating the fur fibers from said solution.

4L. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution at substantially boiling temperature adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, continually agitating said solution, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

5. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, agitating said solution by blowing air thereinto, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

6. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, agitating and at the same time cooling said solution to prevent injury to the fur fibers, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

7. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, blowing air into said solution to agitate and gradually cool the same, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

8. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, blowing air into said solution to agitate and cool the same, re-heating said solution, again blowing air into said solution to agitate and cool the same, and thereafter separating out the loosened fur fibers.

9. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, continually agitating said solution and at the same time preventing excessive heating thereof by alternately blowing thereinto air and steam at intervals, and thereafter separating out the loosened fur fibers.

10. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated acid solution adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, continually agitating the solution, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

11. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bearing skin in a bath comprising a heated acid solution at substantially boiling temperature adapted to decompose the skin and cause loosening of the fur fibers therefrom, blowing into the solution a stream of air to agitate and at the same time gradually cool the same, and thereafter separating the loosened fur fibers from the decomposed skin and from the solution.

12. The herein described art of treating fur, which consists in immersing a fur-bean lit) 

